Fortnite's Meteor Showers Causing the Game to Freeze?

By Jasmine Henry 06 May 2018

Over the past few days or so, Fortnite players have reported seeing meteor showers. The meteors have been crashing down in Tilted Towers, just ripping through the sky with bright streaks of orange and yellow. The showers make for a dazzling display – as well as a serious distraction – while playing through matches of Fortnite Battle Royale. But not all players are happy with the meteor showers and one high-profile Fortnite fan has suggested that showers are causing major technical problems.

In a post on Twitter, hugely popular Fortnite streamer Ninja posited that the “hitches and stutters [will] go away when the meteors and asteroids disappear.” In a follow-up tweet, Ninja also shared a clip of himself playing the game and being affected by these said stutters. It’s a nail-biting moment as Ninja is just about to get a Victory Royale but the game freezes suddenly, leaving the Fortnite player vulnerable. Ninja does manage to secure the win, but the stutter was a hindrance.

Calling it tomorrow by the way… all the hitches and stutters go away when the meteor and asteroids disappear. CALLING IT. pic.twitter.com/Gf2gZYYmFF

— Ninja (@Ninja) April 30, 2018

Game freeze? no problem… totally played it cool too pic.twitter.com/9Cj1KIlHFr

— Ninja (@Ninja) April 30, 2018

In the replies to Ninja’s tweets, many other Fortnite players across PC and consoles say that they too have experienced hitches and stutters since the meteors began dropping out of the sky. Brennon O’Neill, a Twitch streamer and YouTuber, called the technical issues “the most frustrating thing I’ve ever experienced in this game.” There are also many tweets hoping that Fortnite Season 4 will be released soon and that this will bring an end to the meteor showers and the freezing problem too.

The Fortnite team has now announced that Fortnite Season 4 will begin on May 1 (that’s tomorrow, as of the time of writing) and it previously revealed that the new season will have a superhero theme. Based on the teasers and hints in the game itself, such as the meteors and the emergency broadcasts on the in-game televisions, the recent events are all connected.

The meteors may destroy the Dusty Depot, according to a recent rumor, rather than destroying Tilted Towers as other speculation had suggested. It’s unclear exactly which location will be blown to smithereens and while fans will be disappointed to see any map location disappear, if it means that the meteor showers will stop then many more will be delighted that the game has gotten back to normal. And if the meteor showers aren’t the cause of the stuttering issues? Epic Games will want to try to fix them as soon as possible, lest players launch a full-on revolt.

Fortnite is available now in early access on iOS, PC, PS4, and Xbox One.